cover. this all unfolding around 5:00 this evening. right now fire on the scene. we're trying to figure out if pg&e is on the way and what may have caused that to blow. now to a story you'll see only on nbc bay area. he's charged with murder and for starting a gunfight with san jose police. today jonathan which will banks said nothing in court. he lowered his head during his arraignment. however, his brother is speaking out to us. nbc bay area in that courtroom as the suspect faced the judge for the first time today. >> reporter: well, raj, jonathan which will banks did not look very menacing in court today, but police say he is a cold-blooded killer, be and they are still looking for a second man who they say helped him. he lowered his head for most of the hearing. the lawyer for jonathan which will banks explained the posture outside the courtroom.

>> i would say extremely remorseful. >> reporter: remorseful for what, sir? which will banks is charged with killing a carjacking victim and then going on a crime spree that ended in a shoot-out with san jose police. >> someone who would do something like this. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview, which will banks' younger brother couldn't answer if he thought which will banks was capable of such violence. eric which will banks says his family is torn and hoping for the best for the murder victim's family. >> we all need to unite and donate for the family. i don't know why this happened but that's the only way to make the situation better right now. >> the officer that was fired upon had round after round raining down on him. >> reporter: the prosecutor says the officer who exchanged gunfire with the suspect was nothing less than heroic, fighting back while his cruiser

was being riddled with bullets. >> just outstanding the level of dedication that this officer displayed. in the 13 years i've been working with the san jose police department, this is what i come to expect. that is the san jose police department. >> reporter: jonathan which will ban wilbanks faces the death penalty. at 5:00 we told you about officers individually trying to raise money for the murder victim's family. that website just popped about a half hour ago. the goal is $8,000. so far in that half hour they've raised $75. go to helpdonor.com and on that search engine you can search for rory's fund. we're live at the hall of justice in san jose. >> okay, thank you, damion. san jose police are looking for the driver of a sedan who hit and killed a man in east jose. they do believe the man was

jaywalking as he crossed near the intersection of jackson just a little after 6:00 this morning. now first one driver hit the man. that person sped off and continued west and then the driver of a mini man hit the pedestrian, but that driver stopped and is cooperating with police. it turns 0 out this is the third time in just a year that someone has been hit and killed near this intersection. which is why the east side neighborhood center has been pushing for safety changes specifically for drivers to slow down and for pedestrians to stop jaywalking. >> and the volume of the cars and the stop and go traffic in this community right now as they have been for the longest time. now the clash is so much, much more. >> members of suggest the city create a senior zone, that they add more speed limit and slow down signs as they make the crossing lines a little more obvious. okay, now to the holiday travel

rush. want to show you a live look at i-280 near the interstate 880 interchange in san jose. aaa says nearly 5 million drivers will make a journey of at least 50 miles this thanksgiving in california. right now the travel rush doesn't look too bad but let's show what you it looks like on 101 and palo al itto. nearly half of themre expected to hit the road today at some point. 80 and emeryville, that one is crowded. chp says it will be out in force this holiday to crack down on anyone who may be out having a little too much to drink and driving tipsy. >> as for our airport, surprisingly smooth. no major problems is the sfo or oakland. this is just the beginning of this holiday season. things can change quickly. when you fly, choose your airport wisely. here is nbc bay area's joe risotto jr. >> reporter: despite warnings traveling on the busiest travel day of the year, this person braved sfo on a pilgrimage home

to new jersey. >> trying to go home to see my family for thanksgiving, and my high school reunion. >> reporter: after flying in and out of sfo over the years, he was bracing for the worst. he spent plenty of time here mainly because of weather delays. >> that's when it's really bad with the fog. you circle around for some time or you depart. i usually come in through phoenix sometimes and then get delayed there because of the fog here. >> reporter: the fact the u.s. bureau of transportation statistics ranks sfo's on-tame departure rate 28th among the nation's 29 major airports. travelers know bad weather at sfo can make for a long day. >> i've seen much more weather delays at sfo. i haven't seen as many in oakland. >> you avoed them because of that? >> i avoid sfo because of that. >> reporter: so far 85% of oakland airport's departures were on time.

sfo just 75%. an on-time departure rate of 90% but far fewer weather delays than its neighbor to the north. >> the city sometimes for sure but here not the case, yeah. >> reporter: and despite long lines today sacramento airport has an 87% on time departure rate this year. of course proximity and convenience much louder than reputation and even statistics. >> san jose is very close to me so my work is here. it's within a ten minutes' drive. >> i stop over here. >> reporter: and so with a long memory of delays, travelers showed up at sfo early today ready to brave the crowds and delays only to find out there weren't many. >> many people left earlier in the week or i don't know. it's pretty smooth. pretty surprised. >> we'll see. i'm not onboard yet.

okay. so what does the weather have in store for the holiday? jeff ranieri joins us now. tomorrow will look pretty good, though, jeff. >> the forecast is clearing out. we really were saved by about 12 to 14 hours of having an even more of a nightmare commute out there for a lot of you here in the bay area. the air traffic hasn't been a problem but personally here the road on the traffic today was at least double, at least on my commute from san francisco down to the south bay. here is the good news, doppler radar stands around. not a raindrop in sight. very dry roads. a big question for you if you're heading out to lake tahoe, interstate 80, also highway 50 is all clear. i also checked chain requirements and at this time there are no chains required. however, do be prepared for slick spots on the roadways with some snow at least in the past 24 hours. here is the other good news, sfo clear conditions, also oakland and san jose running on time in oakland and son jose when it

comes to any potential weather delays and as far as your forecast goes for thanksgiving, it just gets better and better. we'll lack at improving conditions and sunny skies. temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s and even close to 70 for some of those interior valleys. we'll let you know when we could have a few low 70s coming for the holiday in my full forecast later on in the show. >> jeff, we will see you shortly. for manyeople thanksgiving also means shopping. a lot of it. this week shoppers will be greeted by protesters. many employees at walmart aren't happy about their new schedule. they have to work on thanksgiving night. jodi hernandez joins us from the walmart in oakland, pretty vocal protest, isn't it, are jodi? >> reporter: raj, if you're planning on shopping at walmart this black friday, you may get more than you bargained for. demonstrators upset with the big box chains are planning protests across the bay area and a pre-thanksgiving protest at this oakland store.

shoppers got an earful at this oakland walmart store as protesters chanted and marched up and down the aisles. they believe walmart workers are being shortchanged and treated unfairly. >> we want walmart to start respecting their employees and increasing the amount of pay they give them. also, we've heard from parents they schedule them to work without knowing. >> stay away from walmart. shop elsewhere. >> reporter: demonstrators are urging people to ban the chain. they are forcing workers to cut their family gatherings short. >> i think it's unacceptable. it just shows they're putting greed and profits above the lives of their associates. >> reporter: raymond is fired up. he's scheduled to report to work tomorrow night but plans to walk

off the job and join a one-day strike. >> more than 1.3 million associates enjoy working at walmart. >> reporter: a video response was released today. though demonstrations are planned at stores across the country, walmart expects black friday to be its best ever. they insist workers are happy. >> if you think of our pay and benefits package equal to or better than the majority of our retail competitors. >> reporter: some are siding with the picketers. this family says they don't plan to return to walmart anytime soon. i would want someone to support me as well. >> reporter: again, protests are set to take place across the bay area fairis field, richmond, san francisco, and san jose. we are told that strikes,

rallies and flash mobs will be participate of the action. reporting live, i'm jodi hernandez. still ahead, change is coming to an apple store this holiday. >> coupertino, we have a proble. >> reporter: all of this talk of thanksgiving dinner got us wondering about the wild turkeys we see on our jogging paths, sometimes in our own front yards. are they fair game? preparations are under way to feed 1,200 people here in mountain view. i'm marianne favro. coming up, i'll show you how people in the bay area plan to give back this thanksgiving holiday.

turkey trouble. people say wild turkeys are getting more aggressive and more

prevalent. what do you do if you find them in your yard? kris sanchez went out in search of those turkeys today. they're always pecking at my car at my house. what is the solution for that, kris? >> reporter: you never find them exactly when you need them. we went looking for them today. it's like they gnaw something was going on tomorrow, right? we wanted to know whether the turkeys on our front paths, jogging trails are legal to hunt. the answer is yes. you just have to know where. wild turkeys by the dozen, they must feel the heat of thanksgiving approaching because while they were here they were nowhere to be seen at their other haunts like this neighborhood along the foothills or this business park along highway 101 south. but we know they like bay area neighborhoods like this one in martinez we got on video in october. >> they tend to adapt pretty easily to the urban areas.

>> reporter: ryan mccoy checking in on hunters at the marina. he says it is also open season on wild turkeys through december 9. >> wild turkey hunting is fairly common in the bay area. there's not a whole lot of public land in the bay area so most turkey hunting is done on private lands out here. >> reporter: in addition to a valid hunting license and being on huntable land or private property you have to be at least 150 yards from any residence. if that is all true, then the warden says go for it. >> wild turkey is very good. i would encourage you, if you can. >> reporter: now if you have turkeys in your neighborhood and you don't want them there, you can spray them with a water bottle. try mott to hurt them, just chase them away f. you are looking for thanksgiving dinner, though, the warden said it is not a reliable way to get dinner on the table.

hunting season for the fall ends on december 9. if you miss a chance then, you can always try to get in the spring and the spring wild turkey season gets under way in march. kris sanchez, nbc bay area news. one of the best parts of living in the bay area, seeing the generosity of this community, not just donating money but donating time and talent. nbc's marianne favro has the story. >> reporter: for many here food and turkey they load into their cars or carry home is the difference between hopeless and heartwarming this thanksgiving. they expect this food will feed him for a week. >> it helps a bunch because i'm on social security and social security after i got laid off for three or four years. so i don't have much income now. >> reporter: this year they are giving away more than 2,200 boxes of food and turkey. but today an additional 500

people who had not registered for the boxes lined up to receive last-minute bags of groceries. >> the demand we've seen from our community, these are low-income people who just don't have enough food. it's definitely higher than last year. >> reporter: in mountain view, chefs are busy cooking 125 turkeys. 1,200 people are expected to fill this room tomorrow with a free fine dining feast. restaurant owner john akea has opened his doors to the community to ensure no one goes hungry on thanksgiving. >> some people have nobody close to them and then they come in here and we feed them and they go home, like a family. >> reporter: generating that family feeling of giving inspired these volunteers to make 300 hearty turkey sandwiches for the homeless in downtown san jose. >> there are people out there who need help. it's emotional.

it's a deal you see people and you realize that they need something and if you have the ability to give, you give it. >> reporter: from brown bags to brown box to turkey. the spirit of giving is thriving. in san jose, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> and that spirit is on display in san francisco where thousands of seniors, people who can't get out of their homes will enjoy the thanksgiving meal tomorrow thanks to the city's mayor, the police and fire chiefs and an army of volunteers. they met today at the salvation army center to carve turkeys. volunteers have been cooking and preparing the meals for a week now. the total of 6,000 pounds of turkey, 1,400 pounds of beans and yams will be delivered tomorrow as part of the holiday meal tradition. >> a special time of year. let's bring in jeff ranieri now who has this wonderful forecast. it looks very nice. >> that latest storm system rolling in and out. yesterday, if you're doing any traveling tonight or tomorrow we do have dry roads here.

doppler radar stands around. not a raindrop in sight up into the north bay, east bay or south bay after picking up from a quarter of an inch to over one inch yesterday. we are snow free after about 3 to 6 inches the past 24 hours and no chain requirements on interstate 80 or 50 but with temperatures dropping close to 30 degrees, some slick spots, maybe a little black ice on the roads. so take it slow if it you're head i heading up there tonight for thanksgiving. okay, let's get you out here to the national view. a lot of you are heading to the airports maybe to pick up loved ones and for once here in the west we have the most active weather pattern on the board. a little bit of snow and rain up into the northwest if you're picking somebody up that's coming in from washington, oregon or idaho may be facing delays for those folks getting off the tarmac. otherwise no wet weather across the eastern u.s., the midwest, or even the deep south. it's looking really good. as far as temperatures go tonight, if you're in the car

traveling down to palm springs, los angeles or fresno, it's going to be a cold night for a lot of folks across california. let's get you into the bay area. 53 in santa rosa. 56 in sunnyvale and some of the coldest weather again continues to be los ga it tos at 53 degrees. live out to the sky camera network on this thanksgiving eve and the shot looks like christmas to me all year long. with the bay bridge lit up and visibility really excellent. a little bit of cloud cover for the morning hours but we're not expecting a major fog event at least over the next three to six hours. you can see in san jose dry roads. from this vantage point traffic moving along pretty good. back into our numbers and what we can expect. we'll get some cloud cover in the morning hours, fog near the coastline and off the peninsula at 7:00 a.m. but then increased sunshine as we head throughout thursday afternoon. some of the sunniest expected on

your thanksgiving. some good news as you sit on the couch and take in some leftovers and this one is for all the black friday shoppers. if you're heading out here for some of those early sales we're looking at mainly clear skies, cloud cover in the south bay for you and also some chilly weather so maybe you get a good deal on a jacket. let's get you to that thanksgiving forecast. temperatures starting in the upper 40s to low 50s and by the afternoon, those interior valleys should pop up to upper 60s to near 70. that three-day forecast stays dry through saturday with upper 60s and even some more good news coming in. look at this, guys. on time in oakland and also san jose when it comes to weather. >> smooth sailing. thanks, jeff. >> sure. >> still ahead at 6:00, decision day again for hostess. this time it's final. will twinkies and hohos live on? >> a culinary trend that may prove a bit dangerous. >> and the man who burglarized

steve jobs' home makes an apology to the apple co-founder.

turns out the apple space ship will take a little longer to land. apple says its futuristic looking headquarters will not be finished until 2016, later than expected. apple and the city says there will probably be delays in the upcoming environmental impact report which means the 176-acre campus won't break ground until 2014. the original plan was to break ground next year. about 12,000 apple employees will work in what's being called the apple campus. they'll plan to post an updated set of plans on the city's website shortly after thanksgiving. and speaking of apple l, a few changes to their retail stores. among the changes, they'll add an express shopping table for those of you who know exactly what you want, a section full of gadgets you can grab and pay for

with the swipe of your credit card then and there. no waiting and no hassles. a shopping app by letting you buy and send gift cards via e-mail. an apology from an east bay man accused of burglarizing the home of the late steve jobs. he appeared today in court. the 35-year-old of alameda pled no contest to a burglary spree that sent four counties and included the late apple co-founder. he wrote a letter to mrs. jobs telling her he was sorry. >> a letter of apology to mrs. jobs for taking her things and he made a statement that if he had known it was mr. jobs' home or her home that he would have avoided that at the time he department realize that. after he took the property, of course, he ended up with staef's wallet and driver's license. >> he has no other criminal record. investigators say he was homeless at the time and living in his car. if convicted, though, he could face up to eight years in prison. fire investigators are looking into the cause of a fire

that sent one woman to the hospital for smoke inhalation. the two-story house had flames shooting out of the roof. firefighters were able to knock the fire down quickly and everyone was able to safely evacuate. the red cross is now helping the six adults and three children living there who are now displaced. >> police are searching for a man who may be involved in a series of cigarette thefts. the suspect shown here is believed to be involved in two burglaries and an attempted burglary. he may be involved in several other smash and grabs in nearby cities. the suspect breaks in by busting some windows and then steals cigarettes. still ahead, a report on abortion and the big change not seen in a decade. >> med emergencies at 30,000 feet. why airlines aren't reporting them. tonight our full investigation. >> and i'm janelle wang. a ceasefire in the middle east. what it took to make this deal happen and what israel and hamas promised to do.

there is peace in the middle east for now. israel and hamas have agreed to a ceasefire. >> janelle wang has the latest developments. she joins us with more from our world tonight. >> reporter: the ceasefire took effect at 11:00 a.m. our time. after seven hours it appears both sides are abiding by the truce. celebrations filled the streets of gaza. no need to hide or run for cover. a truce between hamas and israel to stop fighting. >> the people of this region deserve the chance to live free from fear and violence, and today's agreement is a step in the right direction that we should build on. >> reporter: secretary of state hillary clinton announced the deal today with egypt's foreign minister. she flew to the region yesterday to help egypt who served as the mediator to broker the truce.

israel agreed to stop air strikes against hamas. the palestinian militant group which ruled the gaza strip. israel says it will ease restrictions at the border to allow palestinians and goods to move more freely. in return, hamas will stop launching rockets in israel. but up until the last minute today the attacks continued. a bus explosion in tel aviv injured two dozen people. in the west bank missile strikes destroyed several more buildi s buildings. eight days of bloodshed have cost the lives of 150 palestinians and five israelis. for now, the physical attacks may have stopped but the verbal attacks continue. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said if the ceasefire does not hold he would consider more severe military action including a ground invasion. and a defiant hamas leader admits israel caused a lot of deadly destruction this past week but underlying structure of resistance remains intact. egypt is being praised for

negotiating this ceasefire. new president mohamed morsi is with the muslim brotherhood, a fwrup that already has an established relationship with hamas. now some experts were skeptical if morsi could be fair but today's truce appears he can work well with hamas, israel and the u.s. jessica? >> okay, thank you. back here at home embattled congressman jesse jackson jr. quietly resigned today effectively ending what was a promising political career. two weeks after voters re-elected him to a ninth term jackson sent his resignation letter to the house speaker citing his ongoing treatment for bi-polar disorder and also admitting that he's made a share of mistakes. jackson is reportedly negotiating a plea deal that would allow him to resign for health reasons, serve some jail time for the alleged misuse of funds, repay those funds, and retain his congressional pension. the state of illinois will hold a special election to fill jackson's house seat although no

date has been set. while democrats did well nationally in the november 6 elections, how extensive was their victory in california? for that we bring in political analyst larry ger sten. it seems like the election was ages ago but the votes have finally been counted. where do they end up? >> the democrats cleaned house. that's all there is to it. in every accepts of the term. they scored a net gain of four seats in the house of representatives which now tilts heavily for democrats by a margin of 38 to 15 for the congressional delegation here. also, democrats scored two seats in the state senate. three seats in the state assembly. together this means they now have that magic two-thirds majority in both houses. republicans, by the way, have all but disappeared. they now account for only 29% of the state's registered voters. >> now that isn't really all that surprising given the makeup of california at this point, rig

right? >> you've got it. it's really about demography. network exit polls show that while president obama won california by 20 points, he carried latinos by 45 points, asian americans by 58 points, african-americans by 93 points. these huge numbers point to incredible landslides, much more, by the way, much more here than the advantage nationally among the same groups. >> now mitt romney, you say, did well with whites but the problem is there's not as many? >> yeah, well, romney did carry whites. that was much less than his national advantage up 20 points. most significantly in california white voters are quickly losing their majority as voters. take a look at the california electorate today compared with just 18 short years ago. who are the voters in california? look, you see whites losing their percentages, 73% to 60%. latinos gaining. one out of four asian americans doubling their population as

voters. african-americans stayed the same. you put it together and we find growing numbers of minorities with one-sided support and who is that for? it's for the democrats. >> and what do you anticipate for the future? is that something that will stay that way? >> well, few things are permanent in politics. we know that much f. republicans want to get back into this game, they're going to have to be able to do it by finding the issues be a the ways to reach minorities. until they find that magic formula, democrats are likely to be in the cat bird seat. happy holidays. >> thank you very much, larry. the same to you. the twinkies defense is over. hostess is officially shutting down after last-minute mediation talks failed. the company has received court approval to continue with the bankruptcy proceedings. today a bankruptcy judge approved the company's request to close its plant and sell its assets. that includes the plant in oakland. hostess says 15,000 employees have already been laid off. >> part of what we needed to sort of focus on is the holdup

created by the strike and the financial damage from that strike and our inability to produce at some of our critical plants really just cruiserweighted a brand-new hole too large to fill. bankrupt companies don't have a lot of margin for error to begin with. >> founded in 1930 hostess products included the brands twinkies, hohos and wonder bread. there is a chance another company may come in and buy those brands meaning, yes, they will live on. a marin county business got a member of president obama's cabinet. ken salazar called his visit to the drake's bay oyster company a fact-finding mission. he met with environmentalists and representatives from the national park service. at issue is whether the family run oyster company can continue to operate in the national sea shore. senator dianne feinstein supports the farm. some want the business returned to the wilderness saying the farm threatens nearby harbor

seals and native species. a lot of us will be doing lots of yawning after that big turkey dinner. surprising research about when we first start yawning. >> also, it's becoming a thanksgiving tradition but could be a dangerous one. we'll show you what it is. i'm jeff ranieri in the nbc bay area weather center. we're tracking that thanksgiving forecast and it gets better and better. sunshine on thursday with temperatures in the upper 60s. and then if you are thinking about heading out to the tree lighting ceremony, one across the bay area, it will be a cool one with low 60s and also some wind.

in health matters, u.s. women are getting fewer abortio

abortions. the centers for disease control reports from 2008 to 2009 the number fell by 5% which is the largest decrease in at least a decade. some experts speculate the decline is due to better use of birth control during tough economic times because women may have felt they couldn't afford to get pregnant. the birthrate has declined during the recession. a british research team says it's answered the long debated questions, do babies yawn in the womb? previous scans show they open their mouths but now experts have used 4-d technology to confirm not only do babies yawn, they hiccup, they swallow and they stretch, too. the baby studied seven to nine months along in utero. yawning in the womb may be linked to the maturing of the brain. it's the new fad but it's dangerous. here is a defensemen on strags, frying turkeys is getting increasingly popular but it's one of the top causes of fires on thanksgiving day because of the hot oil and the unstable cooking units. >> why we see these burn

injuries, people don't put the hot mitt or protective mitt on and they try to put the lid on and then they get burned from that as well. the other risk you run is your clothing can catch on fire. we've seen that before in the fires we've had here in the district and you can imagine that's also catastrophic. >> be careful especially with that hot oil. fire officials advise people using this cooking method to keep baking soda and fire extinguisher nearby. >> it seems a little scary. >> definitely. i know a lot of people don't measure the oil properly, the turkey displaces it. i'm not an expert on it but i hear that's a huge thing. let's be safe during the holidays. let's get you into our sky camera network. plenty of clear skies in san francisco. your full holiday forecast not only for thanksgiving but for black friday shoppers and small business saturday coming up in just a few. and i'm dave feldman in the sports net studio.

jim harbaugh spoke today. did he announce who his starting quarterback would be sunday against the saints? meanwhile, alden smith monday night and the nfl noticed. that's next.

is there a doctor onboard?

not something you want to hear at 30,000 feet. >> what are the chances you're going to need a doctor and how often do medical emergencies happen in the air? the investigative reporter says it does happen, frequently. in fact, every day. shea talked to the airlines about it or did try. >> reporter: we tried, jessica, but the airlines won't talk about it on camera and they aren't required to report in-flight medical emergencies. the faa does require airline attendants know how to administer cpr. medical kits and a defibrillator must be onboard. still, no one knows exactly how often passengers need that help. >> ladies and gentlemen, we have a medical emergency. >> reporter: it's something many travelers fear. >> it's a scary thing to 0 think each and every one of us is at risk. >> reporter: this woman's mother needed medical attention on a plane. >> we never expected her to die. she was on a trip. she was supposed to come home

the next week. >> reporter: just minutes after the flight took off in phoenix, the 74-year-old went into cardiac arrest. a retired emt who happened to be on the same flight stepped in to help but was unable to revive her. >> he could have turned around. >> reporter: the pilot decided d to continue on with 50 minutes left in the flight landing as scheduled in ontario, california. >> i believe that they didn't do everything possible to try to save my mother's life. >> and this could be a potentially life threatening situation. >> reporter: when there are medical problems in the sky, 90% of commercial airlines in the u.s. will call med air. >> every major airline in this country in the u.s., they will have some sort of ground base service. >> reporter: the private company based in tempe, arizona, gives advice t pilots, flight attendants or medical professional who may be onboard. >> let's give her lorazipam.

>> reporter: they received more than 22,000 calls last year. >> calls are rare. >> reporter: that may reflect a fraction of the emergencies that actually occur each year because no one knows for sure how often it's happening. the faa doesn't mandate airlines have to report it even when a passenger dies. >> there is a medical event that occurs every single day, seven days a week. >> reporter: some airlines do track in-flight medical emergencies. they just don't make it public. >> i receive all these reports from american airlines that i review. >> reporter: she represents flight attendants and sees in-plight medical issues daily. >> i'm sure if you think about it you're at 35,000 or such feet up in the air flying from one destination to another, not the ideal place to become ill. the passenger's life is at

stake. >> reporter: a fellow passenger started having a seizure. this woman says not only was it handled poorly but the medical kit onboard wasn't adequate. >> it never owe can kuccurred t could request a medical emergency kit and be given a box of band-aids. >> reporter: the faa does require certain items be in a medical kill but the harvard medical professor says if the airlines reported all medical problems they would be better equipped to respond to them. >> so we can better take care of passengers who, unfortunately, become sick in the skies. >> reporter: and other complaints we obtained. a database documenting some of the emergencies including nearly 600 incidents when passengers needed medical attention in flight since 2001. some flight attendants reported having difficulty communicating with medical ground crews like med air. calling the communication very poor and saying in order for medical consultants to be an

effective tool in an emergency situation, the flight attendants need a direct phone connection. >> go ahead with the age, gender, and a very brief description of the current medical complaint, over 0. >> reporter: even med air admit that had can be a challenge. oftentimes calls are routed through the busy cockpit. >> the level depends heavily on the quality of the communication. >> reporter: we tried to get the airlines to talk about some of those criticisms and tell us why it doesn't make the information public. for weeks requesting interviews by phone and e-mail with more than a dozen air carriers. all declined. >> in-flight medical emergencies are not going to go away. if anything they will increase with time as the population ages. the sad thing is we simply don't know how frequent in-flight medical emergencies are. >> maybe there was a chance for her to survive. >> reporter: rosa and her family sued southwest for negligence

after their mother's death. a jury found the airline did everything possible. still, these days she prefers not to fly. >> i used to be comfortable in flight, and it's quite scary now. >> reporter: we contacted southwest, but the airline did not want to comment on the lawsuit. airline, by the way, are required to report animal deaths on commercial flights. we have more on this issue on our website at nbcbayarea.com including what items are required to be in a medical kit, because we discovered what's in them can vary from airline to air line. nbc bay area nauz. >> thank you very much. if you have a tip for the investigative unit give us a call or send us an e-mail to the unit. jeff ranieri is here to tell us about the sunny forecast and everything else happening. >> it's improving across the bay area. around 250-mile radius and not a raindrop in sight. that's awesome news after the wet weather we had the past 24

hours. take a look at the totals. it really was two different sides of the storm system up into the north bay we picked up over an inch. san francisco with an inch as well and then you head down to 0 the south bay. we had 1,500 in san jose. so a lot of that moisture, unfortunately, got squeezed out before it was able but even at 1,500 there for the water season. doppler radar showing dry conditions up across the sierra. roadways are slick but not expecting any more snowfall are for the next 48 hours and no chains required on interstate 80 or highway 50. if you're heading that way for thanksgiving, lucky you. not only because you're going to be up there. i'm going to be down here but also we have quite a bit of snowfall the past month or so. we've had about five feet of fresh snow up throughout lake tahoe. heavenly one of the first to open looking at a snow base of 24 inches. current numbers in the low to mid-50s. we'll be dropping into the 40s tonight. pretty cold night on tap. let's take you outside to that live hd sky camera network. what we will find tonight san

jose, christmas in the park is all lit up tonight. if you haven't been down there you have to check it out even maybe over the next couple of days. real fun to do with the family, and we'll bril you to palo alto. a lot of traffic early today but it looks like it's pretty smooth at least. let's get you on the weather boards. that has now pushed out and just in time for your thanksgiving holiday high pressure building in from the south, not going to get as hot. this will produce some 50s and 60s at the coastline. >> it's going to be one the next couple of days where you go to the coast and it's not going to vary too much. widespread 60s inland. it will stay crisp and clear right throughout friday. off to the immediate coastline, some patchy fog as well. then as we head throughout the

late morning it starts to push back. some of the sunniest weather we've had in days coming throughout your thanksgiving afternoon. that's the good news. let's get you those temperatures. it will be warming up and improving by the afternoon hours. we expect plenty of low to mid-60s by the way and close to 70 degrees for those interior valleys. and as far as those daytime highs go, we'll be close to 70 degrees in the south bay with 67 in san jose. 69 in livermore and looking good up into santa rosa with 68. dry are for thanksgiving and dry on friday, maybe picking up some sunny deals and plenty of clear skies close to 70 degrees. as we head throughout sunday, low 70s. even monday and tuesday of next week looks really great. may not get any showers in the forecast until about wednesday and thursday of next week. i'm a real strange people.

i'm already thinking about the thanksgiving food. i'm eating a lot today, too. >> you're expanding your stomach now preparing for tomorrow. >> i'm getting ready, yes. thought i'd share that. >> let's head to sports. let's bring in dave feldman. so what's the deal? we expected an answer here. alex smith or colin kaepernick? did we get one? >> do you think you got one, raj? >> i'm very confused. that's why we're bringing you in. >> i'm always confused. >> i'm still confused and you're bringing me in. jim harbaugh's press conference 99.9% of the questions were about who his starting quarterback would be. colin kaepernick or alex smith sunday against the saints and, guess what, we still don't know. >> people are probably drooling all over themselves because they have something to talk about.

they can fill three or four hours of talk radio and everybody can share their opinion. but i think the thing people don't care whether we win or lose or not, don't need the man that announcement. >> anytime the next guy steps up, it's good for the team. let's not get this wrong. we're in a position, it's a great thing. now does it complicate things? yeah. the quarterback position gets a lot of attention. a lot will get written and talked about. there's only one ball, one guy under center. it's part of the deal. this is a good thing for this team. >> 49ers outside linebacker alden smith takes some nfc defensive player of the week honors. the nfl announcing this morning smith recorded 5 1/2 sacks, seven tackles, two missed fumbles in monday's thrashing of the bears. he's shy of the single season record. on day 67 in the nhl lockout the

players union presented an offer to the nhl. it reportedly separates the two sides by $182 million. but nhl commissioner gary bettman reject it had it immediately. one player tweeted his frustration saying, quote, it seems like the other side is not willing to make it work and it hurts. giants outfielder hunter pence wasn't too fond of his nickname, the reverend. there's no denying his pregame speeches that began with the team's back against the wall left an impression on his fellow giants. now it's his teammates' turn for their impressions. during the credits for the world series dvd. >> today, boys, is a chance for us to make history. >> i don't care what they say about us. i don't care about them. it's about the guys in this room. >> nobody has been through what we've been through. nobody will stand in our way. >> i love you guys.

i will go out there and die for you. >> i want to play with you tomorrow. yes. >> that is really good. >> every time you get filet mignon -- >> every out -- >> every time you get a piece of chicken or fish you want to throw it on the grill, you have to think when. >> tommy signed a two-year deal with the red sox worth $10 million and the warriors are back home tonight hosting the brooklyn nets. highlights and postgame reaction in sports at 11:00. raj and jessica? >> that video was funny. thank you.

tonight we'll have an update on our breaking story, that m manhole explosion in san francisco. the latest on what happened. plus, grace and gratitude for a bay area family. how a father's love had will for 0 ever be marked by a rare tribute to the soldier's son. tonight at 11:00. that will do it for now. have a great evening.

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